Thailand floods

I watched Zico's 4 Things Show and the PD mentioned something about this thing that happened after Zico's debut.. What exactly happened?

Idk if you want me to list all the shit Block B had been through cause let me give you a short list of that.

- Freeze! Era, the video was called too sexual so it wasn’t showed on TV before 10 pm. P.O got hate messaged because he was “copying” T.o.p. from Big Bang. Basically they got compared to bigbang alot before debut which isn’t even fair?
- Forced to switch to Wanna B cause even the remake of Freeze was banned yet again. The promoting time was way too short.
- never had a proper full stage for Tell Them.
- a fan gave Ukwon a handmade bracelet which he gave to his girlfriend. People got mad. He came out for dating this beautiful model lady and they’re very happy and he apologized. They’re still together.
- the soy chicken incident. Don’t fucking get me fucking started. During match up (it’s a TV show) b1a4 and block b had to get food for each other and bring it to each other. Block B couldn’t find the soy chicken the b1a4 boys wanted so they got soy sauce and chicken and poured it on the chicken in front of the boys. People went MENTAL cause apparently this was disrespectful. Death threats followed. Yes I know. Unbelievable. B1a4 and Block b are good friends so wtf fans wtf.
- P.O had to pay for the stage outfits.

I’m pretty sure they’re referring to the Thailand incident in the 4 things show which was highly fucking unnecessary and still makes me angry up until this day. So here’s what happened.

Block B held an interview with a media outlet in 2012 and it was a month after the tragedy flood in Thailand. Block B is well known to giving money to charities and the needy. Zico said: ‘With this monetary aid, we hope that you will feel better. The only thing we have is money.’ However, when he was asked how much money he had, he replied: ‘About 7000 won‘, and the members laughed hard cause 7000 won is about US $6. This stirred a whole shit storm. He didn’t even say it in a joking manner, he was quite serious. The other members burst out laughing at this, because of his lack of money, not laughing because he ever said he was only going to donate that much money for the victims of the flood.

The mistranslation of this interview, making it seem like Block B only felt like Thailand should get 6 dollars when they were highly in need of money to rebuild their houses, was the reason for a lot of hatred. This wasn’t even the case. The fact that their label back then, Stardom, hadn’t paid the boys properly for all their work up untill now, was the main reason Zico has only fucking 6 dollar in his pocket. It’s ironic.

They got so much hatred for this; Zico shaved his head(in Asia, shaving your head shows deep remorse) and they made a video to apologize for their actions (even tho they didn’t even do anything wrong!!). They also wrote personal apology letters and many other idols wrote mean tweets towards them, showing their disappointment towards them.

At the shows they performed on because they were in the middle of Nalina promotions, the bowed their head deeply in remorse of their actions constantly. They were basically shunned by every other artist, not bowing back and just walking past them with the exception of a few like Jay Park. He bowed back and he was basically the only one who spoke to them, probably because he knows what it’s like to be in a situation like that. B.A.P also clapped and bowed towards them, bless those babies. (Great I’m crying now)

There was a petition for Block B to kill themselves. This suicide petition freaked out Pyo so much that he was hospitalized. Also fans were mad at his dad’s wealth???

They sued Stardom for not paying them, the ceo ran off with the money and killed himself. They lost the case and Block B ran out of Stardom and went m.i.a. for a while before coming back with a label for their own; Seven Seasons. Be The Light came out and the boys were back and doing great. That’s why be the light is so important to the BBC’S.

You see Block B has gone through a lot of unnecessary shit. Maybe that’s why the hardcore BBC’S don’t run away from them whenever some anti fan calls them problematic again. We’ve been through that all, we can handle shit a little more than others.

By Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor, November 4, 2011This year’s floods in Thailand, now threatening central Bangkok, have killed 437 people and done tens of millions of dollars’ worth of damage. But it is far from the worst flood in history. By comparison, the deadliest US flood killed about 2,000 people, when the South Fork dam, upstream from Johnstown, Pa., collapsed on May 31, 1889, after unusually heavy rain.

And even that pales beside the destruction wrought by the five deadliest floods in history–all of which took place in China. When did they happen, and just how deadly were they?

5. Hong and Ru rivers, 1975: In August 1975, freak rainstorms proved too much for two dams on the Hong and Ru rivers (part of the China’s Yellow River system), which gave way, creating a wall of water 20 feet high and seven miles wide traveling at 30 miles an hour. Nearly 100,000 people were washed away and 11 million lost their homes.

4. Yellow River, 1642: The Yellow River again, but with a twist: in 1642, the flood was not a natural disaster, but rather was deliberately caused. In 1642 the Ming army flooded Kaifeng, once China’s capital, to prevent a rebel peasant army from capturing the city. Some 300,000 people died.

3. Yellow River, 1938: In 1938, Chiang Kai-Shek took a leaf out of the Ming dynasty’s playbook for environmental war. Nationalist troops under Chiang Kai-Shek blew up dikes near Kaifeng so as to halt the advance of invading Japanese troops. The strategy worked–at the price of 800,000 lives, according to a report after the Sino-Japanese war by nationalist historians.

2. Yellow River, 1887: The Yellow River’s huge burden of silt (which gives the river its name) was the cause of China’s 1887 catastrophe. As sediment had settled over the years and the riverbed rose, peasants had built ever higher levees along the riverbanks. In some places the bottom of the river was 30 feet higher than the surrounding floodplain. Record spring rains and melting snow pushed the waters over the 60-foot-high levees. Tens of thousands died immediately; another million or so died later of famine.

1. Yellow River, 1931: In August 1931, the Yellow River burst its banks and flooded 42,000 square miles of land, leaving 80 million people homeless. Estimates of those who died in the flood or were killed by ensuing famine and disease run from 850,000 to four million, making it the worst natural disaster in recorded history.

By Seth Mydans, NY Times, October 13, 2011BANGKOK–As some of Thailand’s worst flooding in half a century bears down on Bangkok–submerging cities, industrial parks and ancient temples as it comes–experts in water management are blaming human activity for turning an unusually heavy monsoon season into a disaster.

The main factors, they say, are deforestation, overbuilding in catchment areas, the damming and diversion of natural waterways, urban sprawl, and the filling-in of canals, combined with bad planning. Warnings to the authorities, they say, have been in vain.

“I have tried to inform them many times, but they tell me I am a crazy man,” said Smith Dharmasaroja, former director general of the Thai Meteorological Department, who is famous here for predicting a major tsunami years before the one that devastated coastal towns in 2004.

The monsoon season this year has brought disaster to Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam as well as Thailand, where 283 people are reported to have died.

Thousands of people have been displaced as typhoons have battered the Philippines, and the country’s steep rice terraces of Banaue are reported to have been damaged by mudslides.

Floods have spread through Cambodia, where the city of Siem Reap is reported to be knee-deep in water, with floodwaters reaching the nearby temples of Angkor.

Thai officials are warning that, in the next few days, Bangkok could be inundated by a combination of heavy floodwaters from the north, unusually high tides and monsoon rains. People in some of the most threatened neighborhoods are building sandbag barriers around their homes and emptying shops of food, drinking water, batteries and candles.

Preparations in Bangkok have become frantic. About 45 miles of sandbags have reportedly been laid to reinforce a dike along the Chao Phraya River, which flows through the city. New flood barriers and drainage canals are being built. People are being told to stay alert.

As the water flows south from the inundated cities of Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya, with its submerged brick temples, the local news media have reported that 150,000 sandbags are moving south too, as soldiers truck them from one hard-hit area to the next high-risk point.

As the government rushes to protect some urban or industrial areas by diverting water from them, local officials have faced off over whose towns will be saved and whose will be sacrificed.

In Ayutthaya, two groups of villagers are reported to have battled over a dike that protected one side and condemned the other. As the unlucky residents dug at the dike to send the water toward their neighbors, a gunfight broke out, wounding one of the villagers. In some places, according to news reports, troops have been deployed to protect the dikes.

Mr. Smith, the meteorologist, said the flooding situation this year had been aggravated by bad water management.

“They miscalculated the water levels and did not discharge water from the dams early enough in the rainy season,” he said. “The dams are almost full now, so they discharge the water at the same time, and all the discharge water comes down to the low-lying areas.”

Those areas become obstacles to the free flow of water, he said, as developers continue to extend their activities.

“They build their estates in low-lying areas that are supposed to be reservoirs,” he said, “and they throw up a dam or a dike, and they block the flow where the water is supposed to go in rainy season.”

Once the floodwaters reach Bangkok, they will pour into a city that has lost its natural defenses: a huge network of canals that have been filled in–or clogged with garbage–as the city has become an overcrowded behemoth.

With the situation in Bangkok getting worse every day we have made the decision to get out of Bangkok as soon as we arrive. We have arranged for someone from our new hostel in Pattaya to come and get us and take us back to the hostel so we can hide in Pattaya until Bangkok dries out.

The hostel is even cheaper than the one in Bangkok, but looks much nicer! It’s called Majestic Rooms and have a decent sized swimming pool, bar, restaurant and easy access to the centre of Patayya. The beach is a 10 minute walk away, and due to being out of town it will be nice and quiet in the evening…pretty perfect really. Above are some pictures of the hostel.

So the only source of stress now is whether they can keep the airport open. By the looks of it Bangkok is almost completely under water, so if we do land there can we get out or will we be stuck in the airport? Guess we will find out soon!

There is a word called “antlion pitfall.” According to the dictionary, this word refers to an antlion who digs a pit underneath the sand in a sunny dry area and hides there, waiting to devour ants or other insects who fall in.

It’s a chilly word for ants passing by, but for humans, it is a word that is used to describe a fatal attraction charm that can’t be forgotten after being seen once. In particular, you can see the appearance of an antlion pitfall in the idol groups who capture the hearts of their fans with a variety of different charms. Among those groups, Block B’s antlion pitfall charms stand out.

Block B is group that breaks stereotypes of idols. For some reason idol groups are expected to be reminiscent of a sparkling and fresh smile or a powerful charismatic appearance, but Block B is a little different with their sense of being neighborhood hooligans. Block B who is armed with recklessness and familiarity, we will try to explore their antlion pitfall-like charms.

# Chapter 1 Block B, What Star Did You Come From?

Block B is a group that has passed 4 years since their debut on April 15, 2011. Their name Block B stands for a meaning of a box-office blockbuster. Block B’s fanclub BBC has a meaning of Block B Club. As well as leader Zico, Block B is comprised of 7 members including Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, and P.O. Block B has had many hit songs after their debut single “Do U Wanna B?” including Nillili Mambo, Nalina, Very Good, and Jackpot. They are currently in the midst of promotions for their recently-released track H.E.R.

Before their debut, Block B members had extraordinary histories. First of all, Zico was a rapper active in the underground. Because of Zico’s elegant and accurate rap skills, he is often referred to as a priority among representative idol rappers. Aside from formally released songs, Zico has also released more than 200 mixtape tracks. Aside from this, Zico is also a versatile member of Block B, showing the appearance of a singer-songwriter as he directly produces Block B’s albums. Additionally, Zico was active in a group called Harmonics with Park Kyung, who has been his friend since their sixth year of elementary school. The visual of the team, Jaehyo, appeared as an ulzzang on Mnet’s “Flower Boys,” and Taeil’s face began to be recognized through MBC’s “Birth of a Great Star.”

With their songs Nillili Mambo, Nalina, etc. Block B showed a freewheeling appearance and reckless stage that couldn’t be seen in existing idols. Additionally, Block B rode a rising popularity through their exciting songs, which actively showed their hooligan-like charms, and their appearance of knowing how to enjoy themselves. However, Block B have also had some trials. In 2012, there was a controversy regarding their remarks about floods in Thailand. At that time, as a sign of reflection, Zico even shaved his head. Following this, the Block B members suffered great trials during a dispute with their agency.

But Block B leapt back into action as a trend group last year with Very Good. Following this, Block B left behind their previous strong and tough image in favor of a cute, lovable side with H.E.R. If Block B’s music until now has been close to black with its stylishness and chicness, H.E.R is closer to a cute and lively hot pink. In H.E.R, rappers Park Kyung and P.O. challenge vocals rather than rap, and they ventured to hugely increase the number of vocal parts. In addition to this, Block B members have firmly overcome their challenges and aren’t afraid of change, and rather than those things is showing an enjoyable appearance as they open a new Chapter 2.

# Chapter 2 Beagle Masters Block B

“Beagle-mi” is a word that comes from the dog breed ‘beagle’ and the character ‘mi’ (美) meaning beautiful. It is a word that refers to those who, like devilish beagles, cause various accidents, but somehow manage to give off a cute charm even so. Even if you include “beagle-mi” as one of Block B’s antlion pitfall charms, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

From the early beginning of their debut Block B’s beagle-mi charms have been apparent. Even on Block B’s photo wall showing cool poses and perfect body lines, one can see many distinctive aspects. While making unique expressions and unknown poses, they cause viewers to burst into laughter. It has also been to the extent of making even their fans confused when they see Block B doing gentle poses in photos at events. Additionally, Block B members use SNS services to spread unstoppable bizarre photos, taking advantage of their good looks.

Also, reflecting their jokester personalities, the title of Block B’s reality program was ‘5 Minutes Before Chaos.’ It is an unfamiliar title among idol reality programs, but through this program Block B could publicly reveal their honest and unpretentious charms. In addition to this, although Block B members showed their fashionable but uncomplicated plainclothes fashion and their friendly personalities, one of their many charms is feeling like a close male friend.

Although they are a little strange and may cause thoughts like ‘Who are these kids?.’ the reason for the affection towards Block B’s beagle-mi is their honesty and unstoppable appearances. Many fans said that their biggest reason for feeling so much affection towards Block B is ‘healing.’ The reason is that when they have angering or pressuring problems, listening to Block B’s refreshing music or watching their stages eliminates all those difficult problems.

In Very Good there is a part that says, “I’ll make your soul go out.” It is a passage that reveals their confidence and their certainty in their own charms. Like this, honest and commanding Block B’s antlion pitfall is appealing to the hearts of many fans.